Vegan food in hospital

by

Guest post by Mirel.

Hospital food has had a bad reputation for decades. Never mind vegan hospital food, which I’ve never had to try and find before now. I recently had an operation which required an overnight stay in a London hospital. Ahead of time I contacted the hospital to put in my request for vegan meals and hoped for the best.

They confirmed vegan meals would be provided for me but couldn’t give me exact details of what would be available. I had the lowest of expectations and asked my loved ones to be on standby to source a packed lunch from outside if needed!

The day came, the operation was a success and this was my post-op meal, a combination of lunch and dinner due to the timings on the day.

They brought me round a jacket potato with double beans, a hummus sandwich on brown bread with crisps and a side salad. Dessert was a fruit bowl with melon, grapes and pineapple pieces. I was impressed! Nothing here was groundbreaking but it was thoughtfully put-together, healthy, tasty and filling.

Even my visitors were impressed! Though perhaps this was because there was no need for anyone to do an emergency dash to the nearest food retailer.

The real fun came the next morning when breakfast arrived. They brought me avocado on sourdough toast, a large bowl of porridge with maple syrup, another round of toast with peanut butter and another fruit bowl.

It’s one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had, which was extra welcome in the circumstances!

FGV note: this stay was in a private hospital.

Latest issue of T.O.F.U. magazine

by

Following-up from issues that covered such things as disordered eating, chronic illness, and mental health, the latest release of T.O.F.U. Magazine focuses on burnout, and it’s now available.

Whether it’s in a school, a sanctuary, an online community, or anywhere else, burnout is a possibility for everyone, and T.O.F.U. #14 contains the stories of just how it’s touched a number of vegans. From an in-depth conversation with Michelle Carrera of Chilis on Wheels to a reflection on just what it means to lose a rescue animal, this issue helps to illustrate just why we need to talk about burnout and what it is we might be able to do to avoid it.

“As a vegan for over a decade, I’ve seen people come and go from within the community,” says Ryan Patey, T.O.F.U.’s Editor and Co-Founder. “I’m not just talking about ex-vegans who went back to consuming animal products for whatever reason. I’m also talking about those vegans who decided to step back from being active in the community. In the latest issue, I wanted to focus on how this can happen, and why we should try to stop it.”

As always, the magazine doesn’t avoid being critical of the vegan and animal rights community, and it promotes a diversity of voices as people from around the world share their views on burnout and what it means to them.

Interested readers can find the latest issue, as well as all past issues, available through a pay-what-you-can system in the online store.

Click here to access the magazine.

New vegan bacon bits for the UK

by

Vegan Cartel made a massive impact during their trading time at Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

The vegan bacon company were always one of our most popular traders and their packaged bacon caused a sensation when it launched online.

I’m thrilled to share news of the brand new product from Vegan Cartel.

Say hello to the gorgeous Vegan Bacon Bits.

The bacon bits are perfect for snacking, adding to a salad, or topping your favourite pasta dish.

The Vegan Cartel webshop is currently the only place where you can buy the Vegan Bacon Bits so click here to shop.


The Bacon Bits will also be coming to The Vegan Kind and GreenBay Supermarket very soon.

Yay for vegan bacon! Follow Vegan Cartel on Instagram.

New vegan store for Plymouth

by

Plymouth Vegan Company is a brand new vegan supermarket located at Faraday Mill, Plymouth.

Not only is the store your one stop shop for compassionate groceries, it is also home to some fabulous vegan events that I know locals are going to adore.

Plymouth Vegan Company is only a few weeks old but has already established itself as THE place to shop for plant-based good. Shelves are packed solid with pantry staples, vegan treats, cheeses, household products, and everything else you need to eat kindly.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BurM3JRAB7J/

And in even better news, Plymouth Vegan Company has a series of events planned for their customers.

You can get along to their first vegan cheese tasting event on April 9, 2019.

You can click here for the Facebook event.

You can see the exact location of Plymouth Vegan Company thanks to Google Maps and follow the store on Instagram.

Vegan food truck by the beach

by

Vood Bar is a fabulous vegan food truck set to impress in Cornwall very soon!

The truck is re-opening after a Winter break on April 5, 2019 with a little re-opening/anniversary party at Polgoon Vineyard and Orchard in Penzance (all their wines and ciders are vegan!). The party will take place between 4:30pm and 7:00pm.

Following on from the opening, you will be able to find the food truck either at their usual pitch at Sennen Cove during the weekends from 10:30am to 6:00pm (more days during school holidays) or at local festivals/events.

The food business updates its hours regularly on social media so that people know where to find them. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

When the Summer season picks up, they’ll be open Wednesday until Sunday with longer hours.

The Vood Bar menu is designed around the kind of food people want to eat by the Cornish seaside, using local ingredients. Truck operators Zel and Shardae love travelling and love trying out vegan versions of traditional dishes when they travel, so they wanted both locals and tourists to be able to have traditional Cornish experiences, such as eating ‘fish and chips’ on the beach, when visiting them.

Their regular menu items are:

  • Cider-battered ‘tofush’ and battered chips, served with tartare sauce and lemon (and they’ll be introducing an optional extra of pea fritters this year)
  • All day breakfast bap with streaky seitan, scrambled tofu, veggie sausage and garlic mayo
  • Bean and mushroom seitan burger with a Cornish BBQ ale sauce (optional extra of cashew cheeze and streaky seitan)
  • Cornish pasties – ‘traditional’ or cashew cheeze and onion
  • Hummus and crunchy veg wrap with Cornish dukkah

Vood Bar also serve various cakes and biscuits such as rosemary-infused lemon drizzle cake or G&T cupcakes.

This year they’ll also be adding a few extra regular menu items such as a balsamic tofu, avocado and mango salad wrap and blueberry bran breakfast muffins.

Vood Bar make everything themselves (besides the bread, which we source from a local baker) – all of the tofush, seitan, cashew cheeze, pastry, sauces, sausages, everything!

Let’s all go to the beach!

Home delivery Yorkshire puddings

by

If I tallied up the requests received through my blog and social media over the years, one of the top ten topics asked by readers would have to be vegan Yorkshire puddings and where to get them.

If you are not from the UK and are currently having a WTF moment, Yorkshire puddings are savoury pastries that are served with traditional roast Sunday or festive dinners.

Yorkshire puddings are used to soak up the excess gravy and they are delicious.

Sadly, all store bought Yorkshire puddings I’ve ever seen are non-vegan and we have all been struggling to make our own with varying degrees of success.

But now there is a light at the end of this tunnel that has been barren of vegan Yorkshire puddings.

Mabel’s Vegan Yorkshire Puddings is here to save the day.

Mabel’s offer classic AND gluten-free versions, and all of their Yorkies are palm-oil free. In better news, the packaging is compostable plastic and they also use eco-flo biodegradable filler for shipping.

Mabel’s Vegan Yorkshire Puddings are based in Manchester and ship UK-wide. Shop online now here.

I’ve seen size comparison photos on their social media and the Mabel’s Yorkies are HUGE!

You can follow Mabel’s on Facebook and Instagram.

Help a Mexican business flourish

by

Times are tough for independent vegan businesses and they need a lot of support to get started.

This is no more true than in Mexico City and one very special vegan baking company is about to take the leap into opening a permanent store front.

Le Muf is a small 100% vegan company offering artisan, creative pastries of the highest quality.

The business started three years ago in a home kitchen, baking orders for friends and acquaintances, and eventually transitioned into making food and desserts for events, bazaars, festivals, and coffee shops.

Veganería Le Muf has grown a lot recently and it is time to take the big step and move to a professional space, to have a fixed point of business.

If you can support Le Muf by donating even a few pounds/dollars/pesos, you will be helping to put an independent vegan business on the map.

They need to raise about £1,200 to cover opening costs and have already passed £500 with about a week remaining of the campaign.

Click here to donate.

If you are interested in claiming a reward, Le Muf has created a range of gorgeous notepads, totes, and stickers. Alongside baking classes and food, these rewards are attached to various donation levels.

How cute is all that merch?!

Support the opening of this fabulous vegan business in Mexico City and be sure to follow them on Instagram.

Black Cat has a second London venue

by

The team behind Black Cat, Hackney’s oldest and arguably finest vegan café, have taken over the kitchen at Roadtrip & The Workshop.

Although London can luckily claim a few vegan pubs, this is the first time a bar, and a late night one at that, is catering a fully plant-based menu. (FGV note: I might argue that Karamel in Wood Green is the first)


The aim is to offer approachable vegan food to the multifaceted clientele of the Old Street location, from gig-goers to the followers of sports on the big screens to those looking for a meal to go with their night out in Shoreditch.

Black Cat will be serving up “tapas without borders”, a menu combining vegan versions of traditionally Mediterranean dishes with hints from other parts of the world.

The menu has been tested and served at their Hackney premises, and some have even been served at benefit gigs, music venues, gatherings, and special events.

Regulars to Black Cat need not be disappointed on their first jaunt to Roadtrip & The Workshop: Black Cat’s burgers will be also available and new dishes will appear weekly on the specials board.

Prices range from £3 for freshly-cut chips to £8.50 for the delicious cashew buttermilk corn-crusted seitan burger. The small sharing plates average around £6.

This will be the first vegan residency at Roadtrip & The Workshop, and the venue has gone to great lengths to ensure that diners can not only eat plant-based foods, but that the drinks menu matches the ethics behind the food!

All wine and beers behind the bar are vegan, as is most of the cocktail menu, which is clearly labelled while the venue works with existing suppliers and brands to clarify and find alternatives for its full back-bar of spirits and liqueurs.

Black Cat’s head chef, Nacho, commented: “We’re delighted to be able to bring our food to Old Street, and the whole team are excited to reach as many people as possible to highlight how going out eating vegan is affordable, easy, and most importantly, it can be enjoyed by anyone!”

Carla, who manages the café with Nacho, added: “We’ve been on the lookout for a second site for Black Cat, and when Paul from Roadtrip & The Workshop got in touch, we knew this was the perfect place to bring our tapas menu to. We are super excited and thankful for this opportunity given to us by the venue.”

Both Black Cat venues will be open simultaneously and can be booked for large parties, birthdays, or other celebrations.

Follow Black Cat on Instagram.

Photos used in this post were taken by Al Overdrive.

Gorgeous vegan café in Puebla

by

I just spent a couple of days in the Mexican city of Puebla with Gil and was pleasantly surprised by the vegan food options.

Puebla is only about two hours driving from Mexico City and makes a great weekend getaway if you are in this part of the world.

There are inexpensive buses between the two cities leaving almost constantly.

But the food, you ask?

Cafetería Tambien is a super cute eatery nestled within the trees surrounding a large hotel just outside the downtown area.

The menu is completely vegan and focuses on nutrition. Even the mocktails are designed to stimulate digestion. Everything we tried, we loved.

Check out the photos below and be sure to follow Cafetería Tambien on Instagram.

Sustainable event in London

by

A sustainable awareness event featuring music, food, and fashion is taking place in Clerkenwell on Saturday April 6, 2019.

Positive Planet is powered by the same people who brought London the popular Style Yourself Sustainable and Vegstock events last year.

Music on the night is from Besureis, Queen V, and more while there will be talks from passionate individuals bringing conversations about climate change, animal welfare, and veganism to the limelight.

A sustainable and responsible fashion display will end the evening and across the night attendees can enjoy pop up stalls selling sustainable fashion, vintage goods, vegan food, and refreshments.

Click here to explore ticket prices.

Extra note: kids go free!